


天狗 || donquixote doflamingo

by simplysalty



Series: The Youkai Files [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Ayakashi, F/M, Historical, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Kamakura Period, Mononoke - Freeform, Spirits, Tengu, Widow, mother - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 02:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13824462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplysalty/pseuds/simplysalty
Summary: 「天狗 II tengu 」-  heavenly dog; a dangerous spirit traditionally taking the form of a bird despite its name, sometimes taking the form of a protective guardian, sometimes a bloodthirsty demon, sometimes a mischievous prankster.





	天狗 || donquixote doflamingo

A perfect world. One without hatred, one without war, one without conflict; one where all were in harmony and could trust one another fully. One where no one sinned, no one held ill intent and all were virtuous in their own right.

That is what he wished for.

Was it really so foolish?

Watching the carnage before him, he quickly settled with a yes. After all, none of this would have happened if not for him declaring his naive desires to the rich townspeople in the next village. The twisted beings they were, the merchants sent out a group of amoral brutes and for a few silver coins, and slaughtered a good majority of his friends and companions.

He felt something between his toes and stiffened instantly before instinctively jumping back and stumbling, not even daring to look down - the stench in the air was enough to tell him what it was. The smell of strong iron with a touch of salt engulfed his senses as he did a double take, widened eyes taking it all in, without moving his head. He had been spared, of course, for the merchants' entertainment (who would without a doubt soon be the prey of some chivalrous samurai who heard of the incident, he told himself), who only wanted to watch him suffer and have his dreams crushed before him.

He felt his knees grow weak as the smell of blood only grew stronger and his vision blurred, feeling the warm tears building up in his eyes, not bothering to wipe them away as they fell freely, his mouth agape. A soft whimper escaped his throat, before he finally fell to his knees, hands out to catch him.

A gentle yet harsh splash met him, red stains along his clothes, a familiar dark crimson seeping into the creases of his skin and his vision shook. A sob forced its way out of his mouth, it felt as if he were vomiting up his own insides. He couldn't take it.

His elbows met the hard ground as well, his forehead ramming into the gravel, ignoring the sharp pain of the stones digging into the skin, the only thing saving him from scarring his hand being the lush grass. His wails echoed throughout the valley as sorrow consumed him. He slammed his fist into the ground, some of his own blood joining that that was already staining the soil.

"Why?! Why?!" he screamed, his voice hoarse and almost tired, despite not having made a sound since the slaughter. "Why?!" He sniffed, trying to contain his sadness, but to no avail. "Why...? Why would they do this...?"

"Hmph. Leave it to a human to fall victim to such lowly creatures."

He stopped crying, the sound of a foreign double-toned voice startling him, his heart even stopping due to shock. He could see the large shadow suddenly cast over his small frame, but he didn't look up, too scared of what he may see. A few footsteps, and he saw a pair of legs wearing lacquered wooden sandals of a bright vermilion shade, matching the blood around it almost too well.

"Oh? It seems you've stopped crying."

He clenched his fist at the mocking and amused tone in the stranger's voice, but something was screaming at him not to resist, not to oppose the strange individual who stood before him. There was a silence that seemed to last for an eternity before he saw the person (a man he soon realized from the clothes he was wearing) crouch down, but not quite low enough for him to make out the man's face. The sheer size of the man's legs and hands told him the man must be colossal.

"Speak, human. Before my patience runs dry."

He took a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves. "W-Who are you?" A hum was his initial response.

"Why should I tell a pitiful male human such as yourself?"

That stumped him, before he grew panicked, yet angry, still touchy from his recent experience. "I - just tell me who -- "

The sickening sound of a blade slicing through flesh interrupted him, his life cut short. His head looked shocked, eyes so close to meeting those of the strange man, before it frankly slid from his neck, cleanly cut from his shoulders in one fluid movement. A few moments passed in a silence that could kill, before the man grunted, standing and turning around, flexing the fingers on his right hand.

"Not even worth my time."

There was a shrill scream, which stopped the man in his tracks, cranking his head towards the sound, ear almost twitching. Oh? And what may that be? Finding something new to bide his time with, the male shifted his shoulders, casually sauntering over. The first thing he spotted was a large group of ogres, oni, wielding their signature clubs, seeming to close in on someone.

"Please! Please no! Have mercy, please don't kill me!" came an older man's voice and the tall stalking male raised a brow, standing at a distance to observe. Glancing over the scene, there was a rather short man shivering in fear, holding what seemed to be a farming tool in his hand in a sloppy and clearly under-practiced defensive stance, brows furrowed in worry and fear.

The strange man snorted. Pathetic.

Behind him was a surprisingly young woman, perhaps in her mid to late twenties; he took a moment to wonder if that was really the man's wife or if that was his daughter. But considering the context, it was rather obviously the former. Then he spotted the baby in the woman's arms; a newborn human, likely to be a girl judging from the smell. By now he would usually have intervened to kill them all himself, but he dubbed this an entertaining enough spectacle and leaned against a nearby hut to observe.

"You can take my wife and child, just don't kill me!" came the man's distressed voice and he almost burst out laughing when he saw the disgust on the woman's face. A revolting human, more so than most. One of the oni guffawed at the sight, saying something in an ancient dialect of Japanese - something the two humans clearly didn't understand.

This didn't seem to be a happy marriage - a shame, considering they had obviously produced a child.

The group of oni once again began to close in, and the strange man simply watched without batting an eyelash when an iron club came down on the elderly man and crushed his head, hearing bones crunching and blood spurting. The woman, now a widow, let out a sound of surprise, covering her mouth with one of her hands at the sight. How funny. She stumbled back when the oni turned to her and began to approach, taking their time for whatever reason.

"N-No..." came her soft whisper, and the strange man decided he had had enough. Though he despised humans, what he could not stand to see was a child lose their mother. He got off the wall and resumed his casual stroll towards the group, and one of the teeth of his wooden sandals cracked the fallen old man's arm with its tooth, garnering no reaction from the fallen male, leading the tall man to assume he was very, very dead.

A few of the ogres heard the sound and turned towards it, and faltered when they saw him, almost shrinking back in fear.

"I-It's him!" shouted one in alarm and the others immediately turned to look as well and some made scared whimpers. They all fell silent when he took a few strides forward, parting like an ocean as he made his way to the mother who also backed away. He stopped when he considered himself close enough and leaned down, noting how her body tensed, adjusting the baby in her arms, almost shielding the child.

"...I truly loathe humans."

She flinched, terror flashing through her eyes, but he had to commend her for holding her daughter even closer, very obviously determined to protect her offspring. "What do you want, spirit?" her voice was wary and cold.

"I am here to save your pitiful life. Be grateful, human woman."

She looked shocked for a moment before her gaze hardened. "Why should I trust you?" He stared at her before throwing his head back and letting out a hearty round of laughter. "What's so funny?"

"No human has had the nerve to ask me, why they should trust me. You are indeed a bold human."

His excuse of praise didn't seem to phase her, and while it irked him, he also found it mildly amusing.

"Hm."

He turned to the band of oni who all leaned away, petrified.

"I have decided I like this one. Go now and I will not kill you for threatening her," the strange man said with a dangerous tone in his voice. Some of them seemed hesitant, but were quickly scolded in that same ancient dialect by another. "...you have until the count of three to leave." He held up one finger. "One."

A panicked uproar rose among them as many turned and high-tailed, fleeing as fast as they could. A smart decision on their part.

"Two."

A few more stumbled as they sped off, leaving only three or four brave ones behind, who stood their ground with their mighty iron clubs.

"Three."

The oni pulled their clubs back to strike the feared stranger, but he was gone when they looked back. The woman watched in amazement as he reappeared behind them, and with one single kick, cleanly removed their heads, and shuddered when they splattered against the floor, soon fading into dust.

There was a heavy silence between the two, before the man stalked over to the human woman again and she scowled, hugging her baby. "What is it you really want, spirit? Surely you would not rescue me without wanting something in return. You are no guardian spirit I recognize." He hummed again.

"Oh, but I am a guardian spirit," he replied vaguely, before turning away and beginning to walk off. "I wish for you to stay alive. That is all. For most humans that would be a difficult task, but I believe you are a different case."

She stared after him in bewilderment, stammering, before managing a bow. Though he did not see it, he could tell something was off, and paused in his movements. "Th...Thank you, spirit, for rescuing us. I owe you my life -- "

"Don't get sappy on me, human woman. I saved you because I felt like it. Nothing more, nothing less. Do not thank me. Just stay alive. That is all I ask."

Before she could even do as much as ask his name, when she looked up, he was gone. Staring at the spot he was standing in just moments before, the mother was in shock before her baby yawned, and she worriedly glanced over the bundle, and was relieved to find there were no scratches nor burns anywhere.

"I love you, I love you..." the woman began to weep softly, falling to her knees and hugging her precious daughter close. "I love you...your father is gone now, it is just us, alone...but everything will be okay."

The man watched from a distance, scoffing, before turning away and walking further into the forest, now deprived of anything to do. How boring. Were all human mothers like this? He stopped himself there - what a ridiculous statement. No, they were not. Not all of them fretted over their children constantly, not all of them loved them in the same way that woman did.

Satisfied with his own answer to his own question, the man disappeared into the thick of the forest where light dared not enter. He refused to feel jealous of the mere human newborn, who was subject of a mother's love. A kind love he wanted for himself.


End file.
